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1-12 of 12
- Donizetti's charming comedy is a celebration of innocence, so what setting could be better than a small Italian-American community in the Napa Valley, circa 1915? In this ingenious update, the naive Nemorino believes that a love potion will win him Adina's heart. Blossoming from a shy Italian immigrant to a plucky entrepreneur, he captures both his sweetheart and the American dream over the course of this delightful opera buffa. Tenor Ramon Vargas superbly embodies the role of the lovesick Nemorino. The beautiful but aloof Adina is sung by soprano Inva Mula. Recorded Fall 2008, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco.
- The definitive Delilah of our day, Olga Borodina has been praised by Allan Ulrich in the San Francisco Chronicle for her "gloriously voluptuous singing." The Russian mezzo-soprano reprises her seductive performance as the tantalizing temptress in an eagerly awaited revival of Saint-Saëns' biblical epic. Tenor Clifton Forbis, whose powerful voice has thrilled audiences from Vienna to Los Angeles, plays the Old Testament hero loses his heart, his hair and finally his strength. Patrick Summers returns to the San Frnacisco Opera podium to conduct the lavish production.
- The Don Juan legend crackles to life in the hands of the world's most well-known composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Carefully balancing brilliant comedy with heaping amounts of seduction and ultimate tragedy, Don Giovanni is often referred to as the greatest opera ever composed. From the sparkling overture to one hit musical number after another, this fast-paced San Francisco Opera production features extraordinary Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien in the title role. Maestro Donald Runnicles leads the world renowned San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus.
- A thoroughly Italian work inspired by Viennese operetta, this rarely performed Puccini gem tells the story of love between a kept woman from high society and a naïve younger man of moderate means. From the composer's fabled Act I aria, "Chi il bel sogno," to the glorious Act II cafe scene, this San Francisco Opera production features two world renowned singers at their finest: Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu and Russian tenor Misha Didyk. Ion Marin conducts La Rondine ("The Swallow") in an opulent Art Deco production design by Nicolas Joël.
- In Verdi's masterful adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy, a great warrior discovers the one weapon against which he has no defense-his own jealousy. South African tenor Johan Botha, "endowed with a bright, ringing sound and enough power to project effortlessly even over a full-strength orchestra" (San Francisco Chronicle), sings the title role. Bulgarian soprano Zvetelina Vassileva in her portrayal of Desdemona, the faithful wife who finds facts are no match for manufactured suspicion, "sings with flawless, rich Italianate sound, and graceful phrasing" (San Francisco Classical Voice). Italian baritone Marco Vratogna gives "an arrestingly dark and charismatic" portrait of the villain Iago, with singing that's "beautifully controlled and dramatically on point" (San Francisco Chronicle). Music Director Nicola Luisotti "seems to have been born to conduct Otello. Through the storms, waves of sound, orchestra and chorus joining in raging passages, he maintains flawless momentum and exemplary balance" (San Francisco Examiner). "Red-Hot Otello!" -San Francisco Examiner
- In this melodically rich bel canto masterpiece, a femme fatale renowned for her ruthless pursuit of power reveals poignant vulnerability when she comes face to face with her long-lost son. Soprano Renée Fleming "uncorks the secret inner torments of history's most notorious poisoner. Her best singing was sumptuous and long-lined, airy and ravishingly rich" (San Jose Mercury News). Tenor Michael Fabiano "made a dashing Company debut as Gennaro, breathing vivid life into the role...singing with both graceful lyricism and full-throated ardor" (San Francisco Chronicle). Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong, "sings like a vocal giant. Her lowest notes have body and depth, the midrange is especially rich, and she propels her secure, full, and rounded highs with aplomb" (San Francisco Classical Voice). Bass-baritone Vitalij Kowaljow "gave a thrillingly robust and commanding account" of Duke Alfonso (San Francisco Chronicle). "The production's execution is first-rate: fine singing, towering sets and outlandishly appealing costumes, as well as a robust chorus and a dazzlingly spot-on performance by the orchestra, conducted by Riccardo Frizza, a bel canto specialist in his company debut" (San Jose Mercury News).
- The grandest of grand operas, and a brilliant balance of spectacular pageantry and emotional intimacy. A bitter love triangle plays itself out against a backdrop of war and cultural oppression in this compelling tale of conflicting loyalties and forbidden passion. As Aida, soprano Micaela Carosi's "voice wasn't only luminous; she was alive in the role...every fear, frustration and outburst of love registered in her voice, face, body" (San Jose Mercury News). Tenor Marcello Giordani plays Radames, "mustering a ringing sound and suitably ardent phrasing" in the opera's climax (San Francisco Chronicle). "Mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick delivered a powerhouse performance as Amneris, cloaking her unstoppable dramatic fury in plush and impeccably controlled tones." -San Francisco Chronicle "As Amonasro, baritone Marco Vratogna emitted gorgeous, orchestra-defying sounds." -San Francisco Classical Voice "Glamour came from Zandra Rhodes's fantastically colorful production. Gold for days, patterns upon patterns (based upon authentic Egyptian designs), and costumes that more than a few singers undoubtedly wished they could take home forever." -San Francisco Classical Voice
- The heroine of this beloved opera finds herself faced with a dreadful choice: life without dignity or death with honor. Hear some of Puccini's most soaring and captivating music in this classic story of colliding hearts and cultures.
- In this Mussorgsky masterpiece, a Russian czar is haunted by a horrible act he committed years earlier. The concise original version of the opera, focusing on the emotional disintegration of the title character, creates a theatrical experience of searing intensity. Legendary bass Samuel Ramey wowed audiences in the title role, "singing with unflagging stamina, resonance and an air of tragic death, he created a character at once charismatic and fatally flawed" (San Francisco Chronicle). Also from the San Francisco Chronicle: "Tenor Vsevolod Grivnov made a magnificent counterweight...And bass Vitalij Kowaljow gave a weighty, gorgeously precise performance as the monk Pimen."
- Bellini's radiant retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a beacon in the bel canto tradition. San Francisco Opera's co-production features two of the greatest voices in bel canto together for the first time: mezzo Joyce DiDonato and soprano Nicole Cabell. Their compelling duet is one of the finest marriages between two voices in many, many years. The production, directed by Vincent Broussard and featuring costumes by Christian Lecroix, is captured in brilliant HD.
- A forlorn, aged philosopher sets out on a perilous course when he makes a deal with the Devil in this monumental treatment of the Faust tale--an enticingly impressive production from the San Francisco Opera.
- 1971– 2h 40mNot Rated8.5 (56)TV Episode